Here are the Top 105 entries in our 2024 Photographer of the Year! We will announce the overall winner and two runners-up at the beginning of July. Each of the three winners (the overall winner plus two runners-up) will become a personal sponsor of a wild Hwange lion research collar. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley on a conservation safari in Botswana. Read more about the Photographer of the Year 2024 prizes here .
Photographer of the Year is now closed for entries. Final judging will take place throughout the month of June 2024.
Photographer of the Year is sponsored by Imvelo Safari Lodges . In association with Southern African Conservation Trust (SACT) and WILDCRU .
This is Gallery 1 of the Top 105. To see the other Photographer of the Year Top 105 galleries, click here: Gallery 2 ; Gallery 3 ; Gallery 4
The leopardess Jo is known for her striking eyes. A rare eye condition, heterochromia, has left her with one blue and one yellow eye. Loisaba Conservancy, Kenya . © Nili Gudhka Between two oceans. The eerie figure of the Shawnee shipwreck pales under a sea of stars. Skeleton Coast National Park, Namibia. © Lucy Gemmill “A lion’s youth becomes a hindrance in stalking a gemsbok herd. His attempt is thwarted as the gemsbok detects his scant, fluffy mane above the dune long before his eyes even breach the horizon. His aspirations hinge on the growth of his mane, as it needs to cascade down the sides of his head to remain undetectable in a successful ambush. His mane’s evolution is a crucial step in his journey to becoming a skilled and effective predator.” Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa . © Hannes Lochner Harry the elephant – named after the photographer himself by the Mara Elephant project – strikes a patient pose. “I followed him for three months trying to get a decent portrait of him out in the open.” Maasai Mara National Reserve , Kenya. © Harry Blakey During Etosha’s wet season, both grasshoppers and lilac-breasted rollers are abundant. Here, the roller “plays with his food”, tossing it in the air and beating it against the branch to ensure it is dead. Etosha National Park , Namibia. © Jan-Joost Snijders Kith and kin. A baby gorilla is playfully dandled by its older sibling. “It was great to see the interaction between the babies and their older brothers and sisters.” Bwindi Impenetrable National Park , Uganda. © Lynn Rosenzweig An African honeybee collects the pollen of a sunflower. Kafue National Park , Zambia. © Peta Nias In the waters of False Bay, just off the coast, a great white shark launches a surprise breach attack on a Cape fur seal. Cape Town , South Africa. © David Jenkins “Perched on a lion’s paw, a painted lady butterfly rests as the majestic beast lingers, its paws stained with the remnants of a recently devoured eland. Surprisingly, butterflies possess a penchant for imbibing various fluids, including blood – they are drawn to its mineral content.” Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa . © Hannes Lochner A white feather-duster worm creates a striking contrast with a dark background. While this appears to be a black-and-white photograph, this image is actually captured in full colour. False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa. © Geo Cloete A van ferries passengers in the Sahel Belt, Niger. © Xiaodong Cheng Thought to be the most powerful vulture in Africa, the lappet-faced vulture has a face like no other. Here, the vulture’s portrait is captured at the scene of a wildebeest kill, where it has just chased away all other vultures from the carcass. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. © Joschka Voss A golden monkey sits in the verdant towering bamboo forests of Volcanoes National Park . Rwanda. © Richard de Gouveia Gentle jaws. A special moment as a lioness carefully moves her cub to safety. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. © Irena Or Blood in the water. Adjusting the colour levels and shadows of the original photo creates an artistic image, giving the illusion of blood flowing through the desert. Namib Desert, Namibia. © Panos Laskarakis Spoils of the hunt. After the pack downed a young impala and devoured most of its meat in moments, one wild dog breaks from the pack, carrying off the impala’s head. South Luangwa National Park , Zambia. © Michael Davy A young boy from an Omo Valley tribe is adorned with white chalk and paint made from the earth. Tumi, Omo Valley , Ethiopia. © Lanfang Zhang A tower of giraffes flees from a controlled burn. Maasai Mara National Reserve , Kenya. © Vicki Santello “When I encountered this hognose snake in Madagascar, it was evident she was on a mission. After a while, she started digging and came out with a spiny-tailed iguana egg. I could not believe my luck to witness this behaviour. She ate several eggs in one go.” Palmarium Reserve, Madagascar. © Jochen Kruip Vapour and dust. A leopard crosses the dry riverbed, its breath and unsettled dust highlighted by the headlights of a nearby game-drive vehicle. Sabi Sands Game Reserve , South Africa. © Greg du Toit Nesting white-breasted cormorants cackle in unison. Blyde River Canyon, South Africa. © Benine du Toit Three young cheetahs head to the shade of a tree after a successful steenbok hunt. Northern Tuli Game Reserve , Botswana. © Andrew Macdonald Tag, you’re it! A frolicking mother white rhino and calf enjoy a playful moment. Kenya. © Amish Chhagan A black-backed jackal in pursuit of a meal disturbs a covey of Burchell’s sandgrouses. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana . © Rian van Schalkwyk A gemsbok wandering alone in the desert encounters a sliver of sunlight. Namib Desert, Namibia. © Min Li The eyes of a lion through the mouth of an innocent. A lion eats from a hippo carcass in Maasai Mara National Reserve. Kenya. © Shashi Hansjee A unique angle on a leopard climbing a tree – illustrating the strength and coordination required for such a feat. “After 28 days of trial and error, I was ready to capture that perfect moment. The wind and weather were the challenging parts of this journey, but perseverance paid off. This particular shot was taken by placing the camera under the tree where the leopard had stored its meal, so I was sure he would come back for it.” Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Thomas Vijayan To comment on this story: Login (or sign up) to our app here - it's a troll-free safe place 🙂.
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